Lima Bean Curry

For years now, one of my favorite quickie recipes has been a flavorful but utterly simple cauliflower curry that requires just a minimum of ingredients.

The cauliflower goes into a tomato sauce that, together with some turmeric, creates a glorious orange color.

I wanted to make this curry for Aparna who’s hosting FIC: Orange this month, an event started by Sunshinemom Harini, but as I was about to begin, I realized I needed a protein component to my meal. So I thought, why not substitute the cauliflower with beans?

So in went some lima beans, those creamy, flavorful little nuggets, and the result was quite wonderful. I guess one could use both cauliflower and limas, and I might just try it that way the next time I make this dish.

So here’s this glorious, gorgeous but super-easy dish that will have you coming back for seconds, and thirds.

1 cup lima beans, soaked and then boiled until tender (As I thought of using these at the last minute, I just did a quick soak: I covered the lima beans with water and brought them to a boil. I then turned off the stove and let them stand for an hour, after which I proceeded to pressure-cook them. Believe me, this saves a lot of time than if you were to pressure-cook or stove-cook the dry beans right out of the jar.) Reserve about 3 cups of the liquid in which the beans were cooked, or if you don't have that much, you can add water.

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin seeds + 1 tsp mustard seeds, powdered in a spice grinder.

1 tsp cumin seeds for tempering

1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

A pinch of asafetida or hing (optional)

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric

3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup coriander leaves, minced

Instructions

Blend together the tomatoes, cumin-mustard powder and garlic, using just enough water. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds for tempering, and when they sputter, add the asafetida, if using, and the blended tomato mixture.

Now add the beans and liquid to the saucepan. Add salt to taste, and continue to cook until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. (If you use cauliflower, add the florets raw when you would the beans, but stir-fry for a couple of minutes before you add some water. Check regularly to ensure that the cauliflower does not overcook.)

Try looking for Butter Beans. They are used in recipes such as Vaal Nu Shaak and Pavta Bhaji. Hope this helps you find them – they are delicious. Not popular in the North, or at least hard to find, but well worth looking for. There are some excellent canned versions where you are.
Jack Etsweiler
Ann Arbor, MI